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Vitter announced last year after losing the governor's race that he would not seek reelection in the U.S. Senate. He served two terms in the Senate and previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Among the Republican contenders are U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany, U.S. Rep. John Fleming, retired Air Force Col. Rob Maness and state Treasurer John Kennedy.

Democrats include New Orleans lawyer Caroline Fayard, Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell and Lafayette oil and gas businessman Josh Pellerin.

Before qualifying ended Friday, news broke that former Ku Klux Klan leader and convicted felon David Duke will enter the race to replace Vitter.

Duke is a registered Republican and served one term as a state representative more than two decades ago. He ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1991.

The white supremacist is a convicted felon, pleading guilty in 2012 to bilking his supporters and cheating on his taxes. He spent a year in federal prison.

Duke said he decided to be a part of the race after three officers were shot and killed in Baton Rouge.

"Frankly, this is a politically incorrect thing to say. It's a war against white people in this country," Duke said.

If elected, Duke said he would not bring the values of the KKK to Louisiana. He said he left the KKK 40 years ago.

Rather than seek re-election, Republican U.S. Reps. Charles Boustany and John Fleming qualified for the Senate race

In years past, Louisiana has had several high-power senior members. Now Louisiana will have the least senior senators in the entire senate at a time when seniority means a lot.

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